Dental amalgamator



Oct. 3, 1950 A, A, GREENBERG 2,524,523

DENTAL AMALGAMATOR Filed Dec. 15. 1947 JNVENTOR. ALVIN A. GREENBERG A TTORNE Y Patented Oct. 3, 1950 UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE DENTAL AMALGAMATOR Alvin A; Greenberg, Baltimore, Md. Application December 15, 1947, Serial No. 791,915

1 Claim; 1

This invention refers to vibratory'equipment and more particularly to that suitable for the shaking of ampules and capsules so'their contents willbe appropriately shaken or miXed' to produce apredetermin'ed resultant or product.

While'va'rious agitators for small articles have been" developed and commercialized such are usually complicated and relatively expensive. They require the placement of the materials to be mixed in capsules which are then placed in the'agitator for mixing. They are not suitable for use in dental work or where the use is more or lessintermittent, because they take up too much space and interference with the requirements of the professional work being done by the mechanical contrivances that they a're'used with. Iii order to avoid these difficulties, this invention has been developed and has for its object the provision of a new and improved shaking device and arnalgamator for ampules and capsules that will avoid one or more of'the disadvantages and limitations of the prior art. 7

Another object of the present invention is to provide-a new and improved combined capsule and shaking machine that may be attached to a dental engine and operate under the power provided inherently therefrom.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and impr'ovedshaking machine that willbe applicable for hand or motor operation.

A further object of 'the present invention is to provide an amalgamator for attachment to a dental engine andhaving a hollow space in the connecting rod for the storage of the materials to be shaken therein.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a combined funnel-ended capsule for receiving and mixing materials therein.

Other objects will be disclosed as the invention is further outlined.

For a better understanding of the invention and the objects thereof reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which together with the following description outline a particular form of the invention by way of example, while the claim particularly points out the scope. of the invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the agitator embodying this invention, shown applied to a conventional dental machine, either at the front or rear end of the arm of the dental engine;

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the agitator shown in Figure 1, positioned at the rear end of the arm;

Figure 3 is a side View of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side view of the agitator positioned at the front end of the arm shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 2, to show its internal construction;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 4, and Figure 7 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention for use independently of the dental engine.

Similar reference characters relate to similar parts in the various drawings.

In the particular structures shown in the drawings, a motor supporting yoke ll] of a conventional dental machine, is provided with a motor suspended from the yoke by a laterally placed universal joint 2. The motor has a shaft IS on which a pulley I4 is mounted and used for driving a drilling. mechanism through the cord belts [5. The shaft I3 is extended sufiiciently from themotor I I to permit the attachment of a disc wheel [6 to it, preferably by a set screw ll, but

other means of attachment can be used. The

disc wheel I6 is recessed in its outer face It to provide an eccentrically placed slot I9 for a pin 20. This pin 20 fits in the slot [9 and is headed over to engage suitably therein in a cooperative manner. The pin 20 is connected adjacent one end to the capsule bar 2! so as to reciprocate it when the disc wheel Iii is rotated. This reciprocation is induced by the eccentric position of the p'in'ZO in the slot [9; The capsule bar 2! is preferably round and connects at oneend to the capsule shell 22' and its other end is connected to the pin 26. The capsule shell 22' is preferably provided with a funnel shaped end 23 to assist in filling the materials into the shell 22 without spilling. The inner portion of the shell 22 is provided with a threaded portion 24 into which the threaded portion 25 of the shell 26 is screwed. The end of the shell 26 is provided with a hole 2'? in which a slide bar 28 is adjustably positioned and held thereto by a set screw 29. Although the flared funnel portion 23 is shown attached to the end of the shell 22 it is appreciated that the funnel could be changed to the end of shell 26 and the end of the shell 22 fitted into the end of the shell 26. It is further appreciated that the screw threaded means shown for connecting the shells together could easily be replaced by any other connecting means without departing from the invention. To keep the slide bar 28 and capsule in position, a ring 30 of rubber or other suitable resilient material is designed to support and guide the free end portion 28 thereon. This.

ring is sustained by a bracket 3| adapted to be attached to the yoke H] or one of the arms 32 of the dental machine or dental engine and register itself in proper alignment with the slide bar 28 so it will operate effectively when attached to the disc wheel l6 through the cooperation of the shells 22 and 26 and capsule bar 2 i. The shells 22 and 26 are provided with hollow spaces 33 and 34 respectively which form a compartment into which the capsule, ampule or materials, (that in this instance, comprise powdered metal 35 and mercury 36) are placed to be mixed together. An agitator 37 is positioned in the compartment to assist in the amalgamation and decrease the time required for the operation. Materials other than those mentioned above can be mixed with this device or capsules 38 containing the materials to be mixed may be placed within the compartment and mixed and removed from the compartment. In Figure 7 is shown a modified form of motive power applied to the capsule described above, in which the capsule rod 2| containing the pin 20 is positioned in the slot IS in the disc wheel 39 which is the same as the disc wheel l6, and it is positioned On the shaft of the motor 40 attached to a base plate 4| for positioning on a support 45. A standard 42 is positioned on the base 4| and supports a bracket 43 in which a ring 44 of rubber or other suitable resilient material designed to support and guide the free end portion 28 thereon, Electrical connections 46 including switching means are connected to the motor in the conventional manner.

When the motor I is started it rotates its shaft l3, which in turn rotates the disc wheel l6 so the capsule bar 2| will be reciprocated by the pin 20 and slot l9 and the capsule and slide bar 28, in the ring 24 on which it rests. The slide bar and capsule bar in reciprocating agitates the capsule with it. This shakes up its contents and mixes them up thoroughly after the machine has been operating a short while the agitator 31 facilitating the work. When the machine is stopped the capsule is opened and the material which has been mixed is removed therefrom. When individual capsules are used for enclosing the materials to be mixed, they are placed in the compartment formed by shells 22 and 26.

The arrangement is very simple, as may be appreciated from the fact that it can be so easily attached to the conventional dental machine without in any way interfering with its conventional operation. The bracket 3| is preferably placed out of the way of the motor in its customary use, and the capsule bar 2| is detachable. When the capsule bar 2| is connected up to the motor it swings therewith as the motor is swung into a position on its universal joint I2 the wheel disc [6 and pin 20 remain in engagement in the slot I9. There are few parts to the device comparatively, and these may be made economically. There is practically nothing to get out of order and the work can be accomplished effectively by it. The device takes up little space and can be placed inconspicuously on the dental machine. Very little power is required to operate the device.

While but two general forms of the invention are shown in the drawings and described in the specifications, it is not desired to limit this application for patent to these particular forms or in any other way otherwise than limited by the scope thereof, as it is appreciated that other forms of construction could be made that would use the same principles and come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

In combination with a dental machine having a motor and a pulley on the shaft thereof to drive the dental tools, a disc secured to and rotatable with the motor shaft, a capsule for holding materials to be agitated and mixed, said capsule comprising two parts, means for adjusting said parts with respect to each other, mechanical means loosely carried within said capsule to ensure thorough mixing of the ingredients therein, a bar at one end of said capsule directly carried thereby, means for slidingly supporting said bar on the frame of the machine, a second bar at the opposite end of said capsule directly carried thereby, and a pin and slot connection between said last mentioned bar and said disc to reciprocate said capsule when the motor is in operation.

ALVIN A. GREENBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 989,783 Jefiris Apr. 18, 1911 1,242,218 McCann Oct. 9, 1917 1,305,702 Ehlert June 3, 1919 1,377,680 Haight May 10, 1921 1,489,024 Burnett Apr. 1, 1924 1,523,113 Fowler Jan. 13, 1925 1,643,847 Hallum et al Sept. 27, 1927 1,767,601 Miller June 24, 1930 

